Registering a death - Print version

Where and when to register a death

A copy of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death will be forwarded to our office.

Once the next of kin has been advised by the doctor that the medical cause of death has been forwarded to the Register Office an appointment can be made to register the death.

A death must be registered within five days. However, if the coroner is involved this period may be extended.

Who can register a death

The people who can register a death fall into two slightly different categories depending on whether the death happened in a house or hospital etc, or elsewhere:

Deaths in a house or hospital etc.

• a relative of the deceased
• someone present at the death
• the occupier of the house or hospital if he or she knew of the death
• another person living at the house if he or she knew of the death
• the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors

Deaths elsewhere

• a relative of the deceased
• someone present at the death
• someone who found the body
• a person in charge of the body
• the person making the arrangements with the funeral directors

Most deaths are registered by a relative of the deceased. The registrar would normally allow one of the other listed persons to register the death only if there were no relatives available.

Registering a neonatal death

Book an appointment to register a neonatal death [/registeringneonataldeathform]

When a live-born child dies before the 28th day of life, the doctor who was present at the birth or examined the body will issue a medical certificate of cause of death of live-born child dying before the first 28 days of life. The person who registers the death must take this certificate to the registrar's office.

Every neonatal death in England or Wales must be registered in the district in which it takes place, normally within 5 days.

Information is given to the registrar and recorded in the register. The person registering the death signs the record.

If you cannot get to the district where the death took place, you can speak to another registrar. They will record the details on a form of declaration and send it to the registrar for the district where the death took place. Details will then be entered in the register. Certificates of death, which may be ordered and paid for at the time of making the declaration, as well as the document for the burial or cremation, will be posted by the registrar for the district where the death took place. If a declaration is made, it may take a day or two longer for the document for burial or cremation to be issued. The family should discuss the arrangements with their funeral director and the registrar to avoid any delay to the funeral.

Which deaths need to be reported to the coroner?

A small number of deaths have to be reported to the coroner before they can be registered and before the document allowing the funeral to go ahead can be issued. The following are the deaths that, if not already reported to the coroner by someone else, will be reported by the registrar:

• Where there is no doctor who can issue a medical certificate of cause of death
• Where the deceased was not seen by the doctor issuing the medical certificate after death nor within 28 days before death
• Where the cause of death is unknown
• Where the cause of death is believed to be unnatural or suspicious
• Where the death occurred during an operation or before recovery from an anaesthetic
• Where the death is due to industrial disease or industrial poisoning

Once a death has been reported to the coroner, the registrar cannot go ahead with the registration until the coroner has decided whether any further investigation is needed. In the vast majority of cases, no further investigation is necessary and the registration can be completed straightaway.

Information to be supplied for the registration of a death

The registrar will need:

• Date and place of death
• Name and surname of the deceased
• Maiden surname, if the deceased was a woman who had married
• Date and place of birth
• Occupation
• Name and occupation of spouse/civil partner, where the deceased was married or had a civil partnership.
• Usual address
• Whether the deceased was in receipt of a pension or allowance from public funds
• If the deceased was married or had a civil partner, the date of birth of the surviving widow, widower or civil partner.

The deceased's medical card, if available, should also be given to the registrar.

It is most important that the information recorded in the death register is correct. If any mistake is made, for example in the spelling of a name or surname or in the description of the occupation, it will give the relative or other person who registered the death some trouble in putting it right. The person registering the death should check the information in the register very carefully before the entry is signed.

If English is not the first language of the relative or other person registering the death and help is needed, it would be helpful for someone else to be with the next of kin to act as an interpreter when the registrar calls. However, the relative or other person must register the death as a helper cannot register for them.

When you register the death with the Registrar, the registrar will provide you with information on how you can let other government organisations know about the death [/tellusonce], so that you do not have to repeat information.

What certificates will be issued?

Death certificate

After a death has been registered, one or more death certificates can be purchased. The fee for a certificate is £11.

Certificate for burial or cremation (issued free of charge)

The registrar will issue a certificate for the burial or cremation of the body, which is normally passed to the funeral director by the relative who is making the arrangements. A funeral cannot go ahead until this certificate is given to the burial authority or the crematorium. If there is a delay to the registration of the death, it is possible for a certificate for the burial to be issued before registration, as long as the death does not need to be reported to the coroner. A certificate for cremation cannot be issued before the registration of the death.

If a death has been reported to the coroner, he or she may issue a certificate for burial or cremation where possible.

Certificate for applicable Social Security benefits (issued free of charge)

A certificate to send to the Department of Social Security will also be issued by the registrar to the person registering the death or other applicant. The form has details of the death on one side and the other side is the application for any claim forms.

Changes to a death certificate

If you notice a mistake on the death certificate, please let us know and this can usually be corrected. 

Fees for consideration of a correction

• £75 to your local register office for consideration
• £90 if the documents need to be sent to the Registrar General for consideration

Apply for a death certificate correction online [/applydeathcertificatecorrection].

Cause of death certificate

A medical cause of death certificate enables the family of the deceased to register the death. If the cause of death certificate is not completed accurately there will be a delay in registering the death and it can hold up the process for burial or cremations. To speed up the process you may want to be familiar with the examples of a ‘bad’ and ‘good’ cause of death certificate [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/23742/example_cause_of_death_certificate]. If you feel that it has not been completed correctly, politely point this out to the medical professional who is completing the cause of death certificate.

When a body is to be taken out of England and Wales

If a body is to be taken out of England and Wales, notice must be given to the coroner for the area where the body is lying. There is no law about moving bodies within England and Wales, but notice is needed to take a body to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, as well as abroad.

A Form of Notice (form 104) is available from a registrar or a coroner. Any certificate for burial or cremation already issued by the registrar or the coroner must be given to the coroner with the notice.

The coroner will let you know they have received the notice and say when the removal of the body may take place. This will normally be after four clear days. If it is urgent, the person giving notice to the coroner should speak to him or her personally to see if this can be sooner.

Please contact Coventry Register Office for further information about registering a death. 

British Consul and High Commission registration of deaths

There are certain countries where death registrations may be made for British people overseas. The British Consul or High Commission can register the deaths and issue certificates.

During the year following the registration, a copy of the entry is sent to the General Register Office, and certificates are available from there.

If you wish to apply for this form of registration, or would like further information, please contact:

Overseas Registration Unit, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, PO Box 6255
Milton Keynes, MK10 1XX

legalisationenquiries@fco.gov.uk [mailto:legalisationenquiries@fco.gov.uk]

03700 00 22 44 between 12noon and 4pm Monday to Friday.

There are certain countries where a death cannot be registered with the British authorities. They include:

• Ascension Is.
• Australia
• Nevis
• St.Helena
• South Africa
• Turks and Cacos Is.
• Virgin Is (UK)
• Zimbabwe
• Bermuda
• Canada
• Cayman Is.
• Christmas Is.
• Falkland Is.
• Gibraltar

Out of hours bereavement service

When someone dies, the whole family and community are affected. For those communities who, because of religious and cultural reasons, need the funeral to be dealt with as soon as possible this distress can be felt more deeply when the death happens at a weekend or a public holiday.

Our out of hours bereavement service aims to help those communities who need assistance in obtaining the necessary paperwork to facilitate a burial.

A registrar is available to assist over weekends and public holidays, with the exception of Christmas Day and Easter Sunday. 

If you need to contact a registrar on a Saturday, Sunday or Public Holiday closure day you will need to telephone Coventry City Council out of hours number (024 7683 2222) between 9am - 10am and they will arrange for a registrar to ring you back.

If a body is to be flown out of England, permission will need to be granted by the Coroner. The registrar will liaise with the Coroner on your behalf to facilitate the issuing of the necessary form(s), however this is likely to be when the office re-opens the following working day.

Tell Us Once service

Tell Us Once [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw0Ob59HFEY] is a free service offered by HM Government.

When someone has died, there are lots of things that need to be done, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them.

Tell Us Once is voluntary to use and very helpful. It enables you to report a death only once, telling central and local government services securely and confidentially without you having to inform them individually.

Many services can be notified and these include:

• the local council - to update services such as Council Housing, Housing Benefit, Council Tax, Blue Badge and remove the person from the Electoral Register
• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) - to deal with personal tax and to update regarding Child Benefit and Tax Credits claims (contact HMRC separately for business taxes, like VAT)
• Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - to update benefits information for example: State Pension, Universal Credit
• Passport Office - to cancel a British passport
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) - to cancel a driving licence and to remove registered keeper details, possibly for up to five vehicles
• Public Sector or Armed Forces Pension Schemes - to update pension records

The information you give will be treated securely and confidentially. The organisations contacted will use the information to update records; to end services, benefits and credits as needed; and to resolve any outstanding issues. It can also help avoid identity theft. They may use this information in other ways, but only as the law allows.

Watch the Tell Us Once video on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw0Ob59HFEY].

Using the Tell Us Once service

After you have registered the death with the Registrar, if the service is offered face to face, they will complete the Tell Us Once service with you at the same time.

Otherwise, the Registrar will provide you with a unique Tell Us Once reference number.

Access the Tell Us Once service on GOV.UK [https://www.gov.uk/after-a-death]

If you have been issued with a Coroner's Fact of Death (Interim Death Certificate) you may still be able to use the service and the Registrar will advise you how to do so.

If you are unable or do not want to use Tell Us Once to make us aware of a death in relation to Council Tax then please call us on 024 7683 1111.

Information you will need to have about the person

It will help you to have all the relevant information listed below about the person before using Tell Us Once:                                                                                                       

• date of birth
• address of the deceased
• National Insurance number
• driving licence number
• vehicle registration number
• passport number

You will also need:

• details of any benefits or entitlements they were receiving, for example State Pension, Universal Credit
• details of any local council services they were receiving, for example Adult Social Services, Blue Badge, travel pass
• the name and address of their next of kin
• the name and address of any surviving spouse or civil partner
• the name, address and contact details of the person or company dealing with their estate (property, belongings and money), known as their ‘executor’ or ‘administrator’
• details of any public sector or armed forces pension schemes they were getting or paying into